This Saturday Sept. 9 in Memorial Stadium, the A&M Commerce Lions football team holds their first home game of the season, hosting William Jewell. The Lions are coming off of an 8-7 victory over 2016 runner-up, then-ranked No. 6 North Alabama in Florence. Following that game, the Lions have jumped to 3rd in the American Football Coaches Association’s poll. This is the 28th week in a row the Lions have ranked in the Top 25 of the AFCA poll, and the 34th time since 2000.

William Jewell is coming off of a 27-42 loss against South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and is coming to Commerce this weekend looking to rebound and get their first win of the season. William Jewell has not played a Top 25 team in over 6 years, and hope to make a statement facing off against the Lions. William Jewell comes into this game with a mostly young team, but their play-caller position brings experience to the plate as redshirt-senior Brad Strauss threw for 1,489 passing yards last season in 7 healthy games. Strauss threw for 324 yards and rushed for 103 yards in their loss to South Dakota School of Mines last week.

A&M Commerce comes into this game with a lot of experience on their roster, chock full of seniors and juniors. One name to look for this Saturday is Brucks Saathoff, who led the team with 10 tackles, 2 tackles for loss (TFLs), and 1.5 sacks in the low-scoring affair against North Alabama. The Lions aim to add on to their success the past few years, and aim for a National Championship.